Observer

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Fish quota auction raises N$630m

Fish quota auction raises N$630m

Staff Writer The government has raised N$628 million from the auction of its fishing quota as part of efforts to generate income to fund COVID-19 related expenditure, the Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday. Finance minister, Iipumbu Shiimi said the auction had attracted increased scrutiny amid transparency concerns after it was announced. He said, “Section 3(3) of the Marine Resources Act, Act No 27 of 2000 as amended, makes provision for the State to utilize or harvest marine resources to advance any social economic, cultural or other governmental objectives in the public interest.” The minister reiterated that government had managed…
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‘Good riddance’: Shaningwa on resignations

‘Good riddance’: Shaningwa on resignations

Andrew Kathindi Swapo party Secretary General (SG) Sophia Shaningwa has said good riddance after a number of opinionated, outspoken youthful members, including Job Amupanda, officially resigned as members of the ruling party on Wednesday. The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader along with a number of former Swapo party youth league members, including Walvis Bay constituency councilor Knowledge Iipinge, officially left the party in a coordinated effort on Heroes’ Day, attributing their decision to not wanting to be associated with the “corrupt” Swapo party. Shaningwa, however, welcomed their departure, stating that it was a “headache off her shoulders as a Secretary General…
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Slow cooker meatballs in tomato sauce

Slow cooker meatballs in tomato sauce

Jackie Wilson Asheeke Simple recipes are the best. I like this one for slow cooker meatballs in tomato sauce. My sister Susan turned me on to the meatballs as she usually makes them when I am home in the USA for the holidays. I stole her idea and used it for family meals when I returned to Namibia. It was a hit! I played around with the directions below and found combinations that work for Namibia and for me. A lot of these recipes on line are geared for what is available in US or European stores. A few of…
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Don’t blame education failures on COVID-19

The pandemic has slammed Namibia’s already weak educational system. The victims of this are the students. Many learners have lost time in their climb towards degrees or advancement from one grade to another. But, no one can credibly blame the failures of Namibia’s ability to uplift its learners, on the pandemic. The massive problems and alarmingly bad test results existed long before that. During apartheid, Bantu education systematically, purposefully and deliberately buried minds and creativity. Oppression can never work if people expose lies, embrace new ideas and lose all fear of anyone calling themselves superior. But, after independence, those minds…
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Tourism revival measures announced

Tourism revival measures announced

Staff Writer The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced protocols guiding the international tourism revival initiative which comes into effect next month. The initiative is a government plan aimed at providing a lifeline to the country’s tourism sector which is on the verge of collapse due to the closure of the borders as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. This announcement comes after two failed attempts by government to open the borders to international tourist arrivals due to increases in infection rates in different parts of the country. In addition, the working group of the…
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No special treatment for Fishrot seven . . . as Windhoek Central Prison cases break 100

No special treatment for Fishrot seven . . . as Windhoek Central Prison cases break 100

Andrew Kathindi Head of the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) Commissioner General, Raphael Hamunyela has ruled out any special treatment for the Fishrot seven amid rising COVID-19 cases at Windhoek Central Prison where they are currently incarcerated. “Our mandate is to ensure the safe, secure and humane custody of inmates. We do not mistreat any person. And we also do not offer special treatment to any intimate. All the people, when they come to the correctional service are treated equally. You are just an inmate; you are not given any other title,” Hamunyela told Windhoek Observer. He added that the high-profile…
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Couch Cat:  When your eyebrows are missing in action

Couch Cat: When your eyebrows are missing in action

Jackie Wilson Asheeke One good thing that comes from staying at home more and working remote is that I no longer need to buy or wear make-up as frequently. The face mask makes lipstick unnecessary and the mess made on the inside of masks by face powder, reduces that need too. But, the eyes become more important than the lips and cheeks these days. I have an eyebrow issue and I suspect many of you do too. Voilá! - The eyebrow template and brush. A year ago, my daughter Martha was doing my face for an event where I was…
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No one will save you, except you

Jackie Wilson Asheeke Thieves and con artists thrive in tough times. Periods of fear and uncertainty make most people desperate for relief. Enter the conmen. They take people’s dreams and fears and use it against them. These people are without conscience; they tell any lie that separates people from their money. Ripped off people condemn the police or the government for not protecting them. But, at the end of the day no one will save you, except you. The government handles the laws, regulations and the climate for our quality of life. We need the police to enforce the laws.…
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Data is the new land

The Time Traveler: Hugh Ellis Data is the new land. In the past, and still often in the present, the ownership of land determined who would survive, who had the potential to get rich, who married whom, and who had the most potential to influence government policies. Now, ownership of the mass of data we generate and consume through the Internet increasingly determines the same things. Consider Uber, the biggest taxi company in the world. It owns not a single car or service station, and (except where national laws force it to do so) it employs no drivers. What it…
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Masses must wait for a cake that never seems to grow

Yours Truly Ideologically: Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Yours Truly Ideologically strongly believes that because of the nature of the independence the country gained, the flag independence, the content thereof, which socio-economically, and politico-culturally has since not seen any fundamental transformation. Therefore, Namibia cannot as yet speak, even the least of the economic empowerment of the masses, while their economic empowerment must have been the essence of the liberation and emancipation struggle.Contrary to what many would like us believe, especially the political elite and aspiring bourgeoisie. Thus, it has been strange to Yours Truly Ideologically, how those politically running the country, can be…
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